Mechanical lead pencil



July 29, 1952 D, STEUCK 2,604,876

MECHANICAL LEAD PENCIL Filed April 21, 1950 INVENTOR. DONALD STEUCK Patented July 29, 1952 "OFFICE MECHANICAL LEAD PENCIL Donald Steuck, West Allis, Wis.

Application April 21, 1950, Serial No. 157,318

3 Claims. 1

My invention relates t improvements in pencils and more particularly to a mechanically adjustable pencil.

The object of my invention is to provide a mechanical pencil that incorporates and encases a plurality of varied grades of graphite, or various colors of crayon refills, a pencil that may be adjusted to permit expelling or repelling one grade of lead or graphite, or one color of crayon-at a time.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device of the character described that may be filled and serviced with ease.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a visible means of selecting the lead or crayon without disassembling any portion of the device.

A further object of my invention isto provide a device that is easy to manufacture and assemble, economical in construction and positive in its operation.

In the use of mechanical pencils, it is quite frequently advantageous and desirable to change from one grade of lead or crayon to another.

. With the device described and claimed herein, a

provision is made possible that enables the user to quickly change from one grade of lead, or colored crayon, to another with ease and without mechanical knowledge.

Other and further objects of my invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds when taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view showing the entire assembled device and illustrating how one point of lead or crayon is expelled to a writing position.

Figure 2 is a side view of the revolving cap and a portion of the barrel, illustrating the indicating points for the selection of the type of lead or crayon.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cap-and gear arrangement, taken at the line 3-3 in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a cross-section of the device taken at the line 4-4 in Figure 1, showing the center posts and the lead holders, and their supports.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary cross-section of the expelling and repelling side member.

Figure 6 is a composite fragmentary perspective view of the feed bar andits engaging arrangement with the lead holder tube. V

Figure 7 is a cross-section taken at the line 1- in Figure 1 and lar cylinder 3!] is moved longitudinally by means of an actuating member 3| which is joined to the Figure 8 is a perspective view of the sleeve supporting the feed bar.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views and referring now to the same, the character I I] shows a tubular barrel constituting'a housing or enclosure, to encase the entire mechanism. This housing or enclosure-is threaded at its lower end I l and also has a cap l2 frictionally supported at its top end, there being an insert l3 acting as a bearing member for the cap l2, and the lower end of the barrel in is provided with a conical point M, which has an aperture I5 disposed through its wall at the apex or pointed end. The lower end of the barrel I 0 is closed by'means of a perforated plate is acting as a permanent support for internal v the lower end of a plurality of hollow stationary supports H, which act ,as bearings for revolving shafts is, which shafts have gears l9 and I9 attached to their upper ends. I

The gears l9 and I9 engage one another, and the gear I9 is in direct engagement with a pinion 20, mounted on a shaft 2|, which is attached to the insert [3 at the top of the barrel [0. This pinion 20 is shown in engagementwith an internal gear 22 which is attached tothe inside'of the wall of the hollow cap l2. s

The outside surface of the cap I2 is provided with an index point shown as 23, arranged so that when the cap is turned the point 23 will register with one or'the other of the plurality of indicating points shown as 24, disposed around the peripheral surface'of the barrel ill, at its extreme upper end.

The revolving shafts l8 are journaled in the upper insert I3 and 25, and on the lower end within the hollow stationary supports 17, which are supported by the lower plate l6.

There are a plurality of lead holder tubes 28 which slideably engage revolving members 21, fixedly attached to the revolving shafts l8. These revolving members 21 have outwardly extending arm members which support the tubes'Z-B. The tubes 26 obviously "may be either round,

square, hexagon or of any desired contour. The

lead or crayon members shown as 28 are frictionally or threadedly attached to the lower end of the tubes 26 by means of adaptors shown as 29.

ing the inner surface of the barrel 10. This tubucylinder 30 in a movable fashion by a rivet 32, having an enlarged head 33 projecting inward There is a tubular cylinder 30 slideably engagthrough a transverse slot shown as 34 in the cylinder 30, and the other end of the rivet 32 is rigidly attached to the member 3| at its outer end.

The rivet 32 extends through an elongated slot 35 disposed in the wall of the barrel H).

The actuating member 3| is provided with two outwardly extending clamping members 3-5, angular in shape and provided with engaging members 31 which frictionally engage the inner surface of the elongated slot 35 and are held in a spread position by a resilient spring member 38 which urges the members 3? outward and permits their release from frictional engagement only when the members 36 are forced toward one another against the tension of the spring 38.

An offset elongated slot 39 is disposed through the cylinder 30 and engages an inwardly disposed pin shown as All, which is attached to the barrel in and extends inward therefrom.

The upper end of the cylindrical member 38 has a cross member shownas ii mounted therein, which supports a downwardly disposed feed rod or member 42 equipped with a peg 43 at its lower end and arranged for engagement with the open end of a slot 'M disposed in the tube 25. The lower end of the slot 45 has a right angularly disposed-slot .45 for the engagement of the peg 43. iv r The actuating tudinally projecting member Qt integrally constructedtherewith, whichmember may be in the form of a retaining clip due to its slender cross-section and its resilient structure, and employed for retaining the pencil in the pocket of the user.

The manipulation andV-the operation of the device, is simple and positive. In operation, with all lead holders in retractedposition, it is only necessary to turn the cap i2 so that the index point 23 registers with one of" the indicating markers 24 on the barrel. The revolving of the hollow cap 12 turnsthe pinion 23 which is in engagement with the internal gear 22 and the revolving of the pinion as also revolves the gears l9 and 19' which in turn revolve the shafts l8, thereby turning the members 2's" and placing one of the tubes as in a position where it is centrally disposed.

Obviously, the actuating members 3: is maintained in a raised position at theextrerne upper end of the slot 35 in the barrel it, thereby supporting the cylinder member 33 to a raised position to where the feed rod member 42 is above the open upper end of the tube 28. extending clamping members 3'5 are pressed towards one another against the tension of the spring 38, they will permit moving. the member .3! downwardly toward thetip. ldof the barrel i8 and the feed member 42 will engage the centrally disposed tube'ZG and theipeg 43 will enter the slot 44 in; the tube 26,. as the cylinder 38 travels downwardly, the offset slot .slwill follow the pin 39 which :is stationary, and as the peg travels downward inslot 44, until it touches the transverse slot 45 at the bottom of the longitudinal slot 44 and when the pin dfireach'es the offset portion in the slotiifl, it will cause the peg S3 to enter the slot 55 at the bottom of the slot 46, at which positionitxwill permit lowering or raising the tube 25', and; the tube 25 is forced downward towardth'e conical point i4, it will cause the lead 28 to be expelled through the aperture iSi'at the apes of the cone 1 3, as

shown in Figure '1'.

member 3! mayhave a longi- When the Ill Obviously the reverse action takes place when the member 3! is raised in which case the peg d3 will raise the tube to a point where the end of the lead 28 is again inside of the barrel it! above the lower plate iii.

In the chosen embodiments of my invention there are many features not heretofore revealed in the prior art. Although I have shown and described a particular construction, I am fullycognizant of the fact that many changes may be made in the shape, contour and arrangement of the component parts without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent in the United States is:

l. A device of the character described to be used in combination with writing elements, said device comprising in combination, a cylindrical body member closedat its upper and lower end by means of an upper and lower plate, a hollow cap member in engagement with the upper end of saidenclosuraa hollow conical cap member engagingthe lower. end of said enclosure, said conical cap-equipped with an aperture through its apex, a pair of shafts rotatably journaled within the upper end of said lower plate, revolving members having a plurality of outwardly disposed arms attached to said revolving shaft, said outwardly projecting arms provided with apertures therethrough, a plurality of lead holding tubes open at their upper end, having adapting members at their lower end, said tubes corresponding in number with the apertures in said outwardly projecting arms, said tubes being slidably supported within said arms, a cylindrical member slidably engaging the inside of said body. member, an actuating member disposed on the outer peripheral surface of said cylindrical body member, a longitudinal slot disposed through the wall of said body member, means for the actuating member through said'cylindrical body member said attaching mcans extending through said-longitudinal. slot, the actuating member being equipped with resilient means to provide frictional contact with theinner surface of said longitudinal slot, the cap member on the top of said body being providedwith an internalgear, spur gears'attached to the upper end of each of the revolving shafts, said gears being in engagement with one another, a pinion rotatably mounted to the upper plate of said body member, said pinion being in engagement with one of said spur gears and with said internal gear, an inner cylindrical member equipped with a feed rod centrally disposed therein for direct alignment with-one lead supporting tube, each of said sup port tubes being provided with an open slot through the outer wall thereof, the lower end of said slot being provided with a transverse slot,

saidteed rod being supported by said inner cylindricalmember and provided with an out wardly extending peg for slidable engagement with the slots in the said tube, the outer wall tube and-extending inward therefrom, said pin slidably'engaging the offsetslot in the cylindrical member.

2. A pencil construction employing a plurality of writing elements, said construction-compris ing, a tubular body forming an enclosure provided with a perforated upper plate and a lower plate with a centrally disposed aperture therein, a hollow cap member disposed at the top of said enclosure, a hollow conical cap member threadedly engaging the lower end of said body, said conical cap equipped with a centrally disposed aperture through its apex, a pair of tubular members supported by said lower plate, a pair of shaft members rotatably journaled within said top plate and having their lower ends journaled within said tubular members, revolving members provided with outwardly projecting arms, said revolving members rigidly attached to said shafts, the outwardly projecting arms provided with apertures therethrough, a plurality of tubes open at their upper ends, acting as supports for the writing elements at their lower ends, said tubes being slidably supported within the apertures in said projecting arms, a tubular cylinder slidably engaging the inner walls of said tubular body, an actuating member slidably engaging the outer surface of said body, a longitudinal slot disposed through the walls of said body, means for movably attaching the actuating member to said cylindrical member, said attaching means extending through said longitudinal slot, the actuating member being equipped with resilient means to provide frictional contact with the inner surface of said longitudinal slot, an internal gear attached to the inner surface of said hollow cap, two spur gears attached to the upper end of each of the revolving shafts, a pinion rotatably mounted to the upper plate of said body, said pinion in engagement with one of said spur gears, the two spur gears being in engagement with each other, the cylindrical member equipped with a feed rod centrally disposed therein for direct alignment with the centrally disposed supporting tube, each of said support tubes provided with an open slot through the outer wall thereof, the lower end of said slot provided with a transverse slot, said feed rod being supported by said cylindrical member being provided with an outwardly extending peg for slidable engagement with the slot in said support tube, a longitudinal slot disposed through the walls of said cylindrical member said slot consisting of two elongated portions offset in parallel relation to one another, and a pin disposed within the wall of said body tube and extending inward therefrom, said pin slidably engaging the offset slot in the cylindrical member.

3. A device of the character described, to be used in combination with writing elements, said device comprising in combination, a cylindrical tubular body open at both ends and provided with a perforated closing plate at each end, a hollow cap member disposed at the top of said enclosure, a hollow conical cap member threadedly engaging the lower end of said enclosure, said conical cap member equipped with an aperture through its apex, a pair of shafts rotatably journaled within the upper and lower plates, re-

volving members having a plurality of outwardly disposed arms attached to said revolving shafts, the outwardly projecting arms being provided with apertures therethrough, a plurality of tubes open at their upper ends, said tubes being longitudinally disposed and provided with adaptors at their lower ends for retaining said writing elements in position, said adaptor tube being slidably supported within the apertures in said projecting arms and corresponding in number therewith, a tubular cylinder slidably engaging the inner wall of said tubular body, an actuating member disposed on the outer peripheral surface of said tubular body, a longitudinal slot disposed through the wall of said body, means extending through said longitudinal slot in said body, said means movably attached to said actuating member and said cylinder, the actuating member being equipped with resilient means to provide frictional contact with the inner surface of said longitudinal slot, an internal gear attached to the inner surface of said hollow cap, spur gears one attached to the upper end of each revolving shaft, said gears being in engagement with one another, a pinion rotatably mounted to the upper plate of said body and in engagement with the internal gear and one of said spur gears, a cylindrical member equipped with a feed rod centrally disposed therein for direct alignment with one centrally disposed supporting tube, each of said support tubes provided with an open slot through the outer wall thereof, the lower end of said slot provided with a transverse slot, said feed rods supported by said cylindrical member being provided with an outwardly extending peg for slidable engagement with the slot in said support tube, the outer wall of said cylindrical member having a longitudinal slot therethrough, said slot consisting of two elongated portions offset in parallel relation to one another and a pin disposed within the wall of the body tube and extending inward therefrom, said pin slidably engaging the offset slot in said cylindrical member.

DONALD STEUCK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,576,988 Mardi Mar. 16, 1926 2,503,007 Steuck i g Apr. 4, 1950 

